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[SCD] Light up the Stage

Light up the Stage
2R
Sorcery
Spectacle R
Exile the top two cards of your library, until the end of your next turn, you may play those cards.

The words "Next Turn" are what really sells this card, because it turns it into basically a pure draw 2 for R. Even if you draw 2 lands, you can still play them both out.

The most obvious application is in burn type lists obviously, but it also works just about as well in Delver lists. I mean, Brainstorm and Ponder pretty much couldn't work any better to set this up if they tried. And all 3 are still good on their own, obviously. This is a lot of refueling in a RUG or Grixis Delver, or say a Dreadnought list or something similar.

This feels like by far the biggest Legacy card of the set, and a huge sleeper. I guess time will tell, but I think we're all so used to these kinds of cards being "this turn" trash for 2 or 3 mana that this got overlooked big time.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Its very strong. But I doubt better than the blue ones which limits it. Burn or dragon stumpy?

Originally Posted by Laser Brains

With the printing of Gigantosaurus, Thrashing Brontodon and Steel Leaf Champion the deck has evolved from good to very competitive. Anyway, give it a few play tests if you are interested and let me know what you think.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Attack with Delver. Cast Brainstorm - put two cards you want to play over the next two turns on top of your library, all counters in your hand. Cast Light up the Stage.

Attack with Delver. Cast Ponder, put the counterspell into your hand and the land and creature on top. Cast Light up the Stage.

No, seems to work pretty dang well with BS and Ponder as the mythical "3rd great cantrip, except it actually draws you cards"

So the card is good when you have an active delver which is connecting...

Originally Posted by Laser Brains

With the printing of Gigantosaurus, Thrashing Brontodon and Steel Leaf Champion the deck has evolved from good to very competitive. Anyway, give it a few play tests if you are interested and let me know what you think.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

I wish it was an instant, because it would be better but still fair kind of.
If your opponent cracks a fetch or plays a shockland, you can cast this at the end of their turn for Spectacle, but then you'd only get the cards for your next turn, so it's half as long but the window to cast it is twice as big. Self regulating elegance. But then it'd be a Mythic most likely :/

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Wonder how good it would be with something like Lava Dart for added value. You can just float a red mana and fire it off for its Replicate cost after dealing one damage. In other corner cases, it could be good with Revolt after losing the Mountain, too.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Originally Posted by Michael Keller

Wonder how good it would be with something like Lava Dart for added value. You can just float a red mana and fire it off for its Replicate cost after dealing one damage. In other corner cases, it could be good with Revolt after losing the Mountain, too.

Good catch! I know some folks were skeptical of this for burn, but I think it has a very important use for the deck: feeding greedy Fireblasts. You get two turns to utilize those 'draws', meaning you can make the land drops you need to be more aggressive with Fireblast. The issue with Fireblast, which has always been awkward in multiples in hand, is the alternative cost. Now we can dig deeper for lands. It makes playing Sulfuric Vortex or other 3-mana cards a lot more feasible as well.

Lava Dart seems like a potential card depending on the metagame. I mean, we already have Gut Shot which is 'free', although it only deals 1 damage. I think if you are in the market for some number of Forked Bolt then the swap to Lava Dart to help enable LUtS seems natural.

Light up the Stage in Burn provides:
1) Potential for ensuring land drops to feed 3cmc spells
2) Potential for ensuring land drops to feed multiple Fireblast
3) Extra draws that each deal 3+ damage
4) Much needed velocity in a deck that is just a bit shy, about 1/2 turn, of being fast enough to break through another tier.

I am counted amongst legions of the unrighteous
who dread not being immersed in pits of fire

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Sean, I think this card will be everything for Burn. Time to gin up some lists, I guess.

"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job."
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Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Originally Posted by rufus

I think it could work in something like affinity too. Basically anything aggressive that might play red.

This. I want to play a red heavy affinity list with this and bomat courier maybe and galvanic blast I guess. I feel like there's some potential there. You could even throw in Thoughtcast if you wanted too.

Originally Posted by Richard Cheese

I've been taking shitty brews and tier 2 decks to tournaments and losing with them for years now. Welcome to the club. We meet for cocktails after round 6.

Originally Posted by Stevestamopz

Top quality german restraint there.

If I'm at the point where I'm rage quitting, you can bet your kransky that I'm calling everyone involved a cunt.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

In terms of draw I think it's better than Faithless Looting. FL puts things in yard which is important for THOSE decks, everything else can probably use this.

Why does burn want this? Burn wants this because casting a spell for R that "draws 2 cards" actually does a lot for burn. Keep in mind burn is not always a "speed deck" but often is a card equity deck where every card does 3 damage. This card essentially does 3 damage, but what it DOES is makes you NOT run out of cards that do 3 damage.

I would put this in burn and cast it literally AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. You hit with a Guide? cast this. Play the land off the top. Keep the sorcery/instant on top for next turn or play the creature. What that does is KEEPS THEM BOLTS IN HAND for late game.

I think paying on Tuesday for a hamburger today is the type of thing burn wants to do.

I think worst case scenario would be 2 fireblasts, which actually wouldn't be bad if you had land in hand, and in the case of mountain blast, you essentially reduced the cost of blast to that of Shard Volley, which still adds up. And would actually be great with land in hand.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Originally Posted by Mr. Safety

...
4) Much needed velocity in a deck that is just a bit shy, about 1/2 turn, of being fast enough to break through another tier.

I do think that it has upside in burn, but card advantage stuff like Light up the Stage tends to make for slower and more reliable decks since the R that you're spending on lighting up the stage isn't dealing damage or changing the state of the board.

Re: [SCD] Light up the Stage

Originally Posted by Megadeus

This. I want to play a red heavy affinity list with this and bomat courier maybe and galvanic blast I guess. I feel like there's some potential there. You could even throw in Thoughtcast if you wanted too.